Getting the Cleanest Laundry
Getting the cleanest results from your laundry isn’t rocket science, it’s common sense suggestions and tricks. Whether we are doing your laundry or you are, follow these tips to get the best results:
SEPARATE COLORS: Washing your whites, and even some lights, with dark colors can make them look dingier and less bright – even though they’re clean! When possible separate out whites, lights, mediums, and darks. If your laundry pile is too small for 4 different loads, combine white and lights, and mediums and darks. Always include deeper/richer colors (like blues, reds, yellows) with dark loads as those are most prone to bleeding.
WASH RIGHT-SIDE OUT: Unless they are vintage items that need washed inside-out to help protect the item, washing right-side out always makes clothes cleaner. This is because much of how clothes get clean is through the tumbling and bumping up against each other while in the water, kind of scrubbing each others backs. This is ESPECIALLY true for very dirty items like work pants and socks!
PRE-TREAT STAINS ASAP: Keep a spray stain pre-treater (like Shout) near your laundry hamper and as soon as you take off clothes spray those stains! Wash items within 1-7 days of getting stained – this way the stain remover has time to work and by the time it hits the washing machine (hours or days later) it has a much better chance of getting that stain completely out.
USE LAUNDRY BOOSTERS: Most detergents do a fine job cleaning your clothes and laundry boosters are not required but they do help a lot! Some common boosters are liquid bleach (ONLY for regular, not delicate, whites), Oxi-clean (safe on colors), borax, washing soda, baking soda, vinegar. They all do different things and often work in tandem. Vinegar can help neutralize odors. Baking soda helps break down heavy grease/oil. Borax and washing soda are gentle enough to add to all loads. Be sure to read the directions on the packaging as frequently the suggested amount to use can be less than you might think.
For businesses like restaurants and bars that use a lot of towels, aprons, table linens, we also suggest the following which yield better results AND will cost less when using our pick-up services:
RINSE & WRING AT END OF DAY: At the end of the shift and day, rinse out towels and drape them over a sink or shelf edge overnight, then toss into the pick-up hamper the next morning after they’re dry. This helps them be cleaner because the food/liquid isn’t sitting inside the item for days before pick up, and by being dry vs wet it will weigh less on pick-up!
SCHEDULE AT LEAST WEEKLY: Food and liquid that sits on towels (and aprons and table linens) for more than a week are harder to get super clean and fresh. If you use 200+ towels each week, consider a twice weekly pick-up. Depending on your location and frequency, the minimum pick-up fee may be lowered form our usual $30.
Check out this You Tube creator that we LOVE – his advice and practical tips on laundry are superb and often VERY economical!
